


once you've accepted total obscurity

by smarky



Category: Professional Wrestling, 新日本プロレス | New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Genre: Gambling, M/M, Mentor/Protégé, NJPW G1 Climax 29, Sex Work, Sexual Violence, Suzuki Minoru Is His Own Warning, Torture, a love letter to jp njpw analysis blogs, hes bi though and fucks women in this if you cant handle that, taichi is a gay guy on twitter, taichi-typical unrealistically risky public sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:06:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26429089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smarky/pseuds/smarky
Summary: Taichi is torn between his desire to take over his faction and his desire to fuck his boss. Too bad he doesn't fully realize what getting either of those things would involve.Complete, updates every Monday.
Relationships: BUSHI/Naito Tetsuya, Ishikari Taichi/Naito Tetsuya, Ishikari Taichi/Original Character(s), Ishikari Taichi/Suzuki Minoru
Comments: 15
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

"You know, before we met, I had the biggest crush on the boss. I saw those pin-ups and just, wow. I would have given anything to touch him. Even to have his body over me in the ring, just for a second. But then once he started mentoring me it faded. I guess it was just too weird then. Not that he's not still handsome, but I'm not gonna be attracted to a guy that’s basically my dad, right?"

"Can't relate."

Zack swats at Taichi and then stumbles back awkwardly into his seat. "Oh, come on, don't try to play like you didn't think he was handsome."

"I did. I mean I still want to fuck him."

Zack freezes. Taichi loves getting Zack drunk. The way his face flushes is too cute, especially when he's caught off-guard. Zack lets the disorientation show all over him, his tough guy exterior long discarded. In these moments Taichi feels like he could convince Zack to do anything.

"Come on. You don't still want him?" Taichi coaxes.

"I... I don't know. I don't think so."

"All the more for me then," Taichi blurts out. At least his tone came out smooth.

"Oh, right. Now that I don't believe." The more it sounds like a joke, the more comfortable Zack is.

“He’s not a god, Zack. He’s just a man. He can be seduced like everyone else.”

The first sign that something is wrong, or at least the first sign Taichi would acknowledge, is how much he wants to snap at Zack. Sweet little Zack, who would crumple under the mere implication he had held up a little old lady in the street, nevermind one of his friends being angry at him. How dare he think that Taichi couldn't have Minoru if he wanted him. It’s true, but how dare he fucking think it.

You aren't supposed to want to fuck your boss. You certainly aren't supposed to want to fuck your father figure. Taichi doesn't care about that. The problem is that sooner rather than later, Taichi wants to move Minoru out of his life entirely. He is going to cut the head off the king and take Taichi-gun for himself, and that can't happen if he’s too busy getting hard thinking about said king's royal pectorals.

It’s humiliating. He’s ring-side, watching Minoru fight, and just the way Minoru's body is positioned is enough to bring back memories of Minoru’s gravure that Taichi had hidden away in his suitcase when he was still a baby heel. He'd spent almost as much of his early paychecks on soaplands as he had tracking down obscure nude photos of Minoru to look at under the covers. Minoru's legs wrap around some sad bastard's neck-- a jolt of arousal hits Taichi, and he reminds himself that he'll be saved once again by how common it is to get that reaction while you're wrestling. Even if that reaction is maybe a little less common when you're just watching.

Trying to train himself out of wanting things never worked. Taichi's only options were to give in and take what he desired or to suffer and pretend he'd never wanted that trash anyway.

A sentimental person would have told Taichi that he should never give up. He might still have a chance with Minoru, especially now that Taichi's older and they're as close to equal footing as they'll ever be. Taichi should earnestly express his feelings! His love! Yes, maybe he wouldn't destroy his Boss's legacy after all. There’s still a lot of prestige to be had as his second in command, isn't there?

Yeah fucking right. Just hilarious. Love like that isn't real, and if it is, it would only make Taichi weaker. If you're more concerned about helping someone than you are about your own interests, there's something seriously wrong with you.

It’s not like Minoru didn't have some idea about it. When their faction was still in its early stages, Taichi aired out his attraction to Minoru in public all the time. It was safe back then. He had accepted that everyone including Minoru had no expectations for him, that barely anyone paid him any attention when he wasn't causing problems for them, and that worked just fine. It meant he got to do whatever he wanted. Then Taichi grew up, those same people started to be scared of him rather than exasperated, and Minoru made him his second-in-command. He could still privately make whatever jokes he wanted, but he couldn't openly disrespect Minoru. Losing everything is no longer an option.

As long as Taichi waits for the right time and doesn't fuck up before then, it'll all be too easy. He has the confidence, already believes he's just as good as Minoru, which he reminds himself every day by referring to Minoru with his given name rather than some deferential title. If that makes them sound like friends, it's nobody's business but Taichi's. And Taichi doesn't even have to beat him in a fight. Taichi knows the little allergies that Minoru has, the things he could slip into Minoru's special sponsorship protein powder without him noticing. Minoru has shown him all the aching problem areas in his body, like Taichi isn't a greedy bed of snakes waiting under him. His family of employees at Piledriver don't know any better either. Taichi's helped around the shop enough times that they trust him, and they'd be more than sympathetic if he told them the things he was asking them to do were all for Minoru's own good.

\--

Taichi despises planes. He always gets nauseous, trapped in a sea of demanding people, knowing at any point the airline company could decide to throw him out and waste his money.

They would have to kill him to keep him off the plane he’s taking to the United States for the G1 opener. Taichi refuses to be forgotten about and forced to sit out the representation of who is important in this company. The fact that they set him up to miss the first day of wrestling is suspicious in and of itself. Everyone in America is going to know that Taichi is better than a failed G1 hopeful.

At least he gets to hang out with Miho one more time before he leaves. That’s some consolation prize.

"So I didn't even know he hooked me up with a woman at first, because the person who met me on the way to the hotel was a man. We didn't talk the whole time beyond basic greetings because I was too horny to try to think of small talk.” Miho twirls a straw between her perfectly manicured fingernails. “And then when we get there he says, so she's waiting in the room for you already. I guess he must have been like... her friend?"

"Her self-appointed knight in shining armor, protecting her from suspicious suitors so he can one day win the key to her heart."

Miho laughs. "More like the key to her ass. She had an amazing ass, that's what made the whole thing worth it in the end."

"She let you fuck it?"

"No, but she giggled every time I smacked her. It was a little strange, but it was hot."

"Seems like you attract all the weirdos."

"I’m not sure that says good things about you.” Miho stares down at Taichi’s bag, which has a pin printed with a UFO covered in feet carrying a heart-eyed Nobu away. “Why haven't you shared any stories yet? It's been basically just me this entire evening."

"Well... I did hire the woman with the orange hair I told you about last time again, the one who held me down while she sucked my dick, but that's really it."

"Wait. Are you serious? You haven't fucked anyone else since the last time I saw you?"

"I've been preparing for the G1. Going out just feels like too much of an effort."

"That's so boring," Miho whines.

"I can't help it! Unless you want the story to be that I fucked you."

"In your dreams." She folds her hands under her chin. "I didn't expect you to take it this seriously… Against Naito, sure, but not most of these guys. I guess the Boss would kick your ass if you slacked off now that he's out of the tournament."

"Eh, it'd depend on his mood. He might think looking pathetic is punishment enough." But after they saw the news, he and Zack hadn't needed to talk to each other to decide to hide their excitement and insult the G1.

Of course, Minoru wasn’t going to wrestle forever. But he had kept going so many years past the usual wrestler’s expiration date that it almost felt like it could continue as long as he wanted it to.

Taichi should have predicted it. There had already been signs. Minoru picked fewer fights, and left more of them to Taichi. He lost the tag titles to a team he and Zack had easily beaten before. He skipped all of Best of Super Juniors, and Taichi had to take his place.

That hadn't felt like he had expected. In Minoru's absence, Taichi was the leader. His followers were afraid of him, if not in the same sense that they were afraid of Minoru. That felt good. But with Pe gone, and Taichi unable to stop Nobu and Taka from floundering, the only power he wielded was his cultivation of Douki. Someday Douki would bloom into a terrifying wrestler, one loyal to Taichi and capable of replacing anyone who got old or decided to turn against their new management. His feverish resistance to pain was already turning heads. Too bad that wasn’t enough to take on anyone stronger than a young boy, nevermind the world. For now, Douki’s failures reflected on Taichi, and there was little Taichi could do but smile and remind himself it was all part of the plan.

Then, on the last day of the tour, Minoru acted as if he had discovered Douki himself and officially inducted him into the faction. No matter what Douki said, they should have all already known Douki was one of them. But that's how it goes with bosses. You surrender everything that should belong to you in exchange for whatever they decide to hand back out. It’s easy to resent that, no matter how much Taichi had already taken from Douki.

It seemed like that power had begun to make Minoru overconfident. He expected his word to mean more than the reality of his aging body. No matter what your record shows, threatening people isn't enough to make them change their decisions if you can’t back those threats up. At a certain point it just looks pathetic, like Don Quixote crying and wagging his sword at windmills. Is this what the great Minoru Suzuki is now, a whiner? It's disappointing. Taichi hoped it would be harder to take everything from him.

Taichi has one wish he would never admit. Create a miracle, Minoru. This summer, do something so shocking that the world is forced to pay attention, and remind us why you’re supposed to be the king. It isn't winter, but they are about to be in Sapporo. It's not too late for it to come true.

"You surprised me. I didn't think you were coming," Naito says to Taichi. He had dragged Taichi away from the conference as soon as it finished. Taichi can smell Naito’s cologne. Sandalwood. It’s pretty nice, so he must have gotten it as a gift.

Taichi isn't really in the mood to deal with Naito, but the knowledge that anyone could walk down the wrong way and see them pressed together in this isolated little hideaway is enough to keep things exciting.

"I didn't think I was either, but here I am in this dump," says Taichi.

"Why did you leave the country? That guy’s absence makes it rather pointless."

“Did you hit your head and go deaf? Can you no longer read?” Taichi chooses not to consider that Naito just hadn’t been paying attention to him. “Like I said, I've had Lance over for dinner so many times, it was only right to let him return the favor.”

There's that wicked fucking smile. "You don't have to be dishonest with me. I know that's not really why."

"Do you know better than me, really? What's my reasoning, I'd love to know."

“Given your appetite, maybe the complimentary pastries…”

“Are you calling me fat?” Taichi puts his hand on Naito’s neck. “Ah, but you’re right. I am hungry for something.”

“You're getting serious about shaping up. Taking another step forward," Naito purrs.

Naito's second favourite phrase after tranquilo. Taking a step forward. It seems to mean, working to better his position, only in the exact way Naito wants him to. Unfortunately for him, Taichi is not his puppet.

Naito keeps chugging along. "I’m glad you’re following my advice. This alone doesn’t do much, but it all adds up, doesn’t it?”

Taichi’s hand tightens around Naito’s neck. “I’m not sure I’ll do the tournament at all. I might vacation in Sapporo instead, it’s sure to be more interesting than this.”

"But there is something interesting happening. I just can't help but notice a certain someone was left out this year. I wonder how that happened? Did someone in the office with a crush on you pull strings to replace him with you?"

Taichi hadn't considered that Minoru might have been right about the office conspiring against him. It just doesn't make sense, Minoru is money as long as he can wrestle... Maybe this is just Naito pushing Taichi to admit he got in on his own merits, and that he has to work hard as a result, or something. "Don't be stupid. It's only natural for geezers like him to disappear."

Naito puts his hand over Taichi's on his neck. "I'm disappointed. I thought you were finally getting rid of him. Still a coward, then."

"Why do you care so much about what I do? If you hate him so much, retire him yourself."

Wait.

"Did you do it? Did you have him taken out of the G1?" Taichi doesn't even wait for an answer. He presses down and starts choking Naito. And Naito barely even pulls at his hand, because he likes this stuff, the freak. Taichi was really stupid enough to think he had finally started to be better than Minoru. He was probably the only person in the world who had thought it, and now it was gone. Naito had to take something even this small away from him. He had to have total control over Taichi's life, just like he gets every single thing he wants. Taichi can’t stop him, no matter how he feels he benefits from it, but at least he can leave a big red mark on the thin skin of Naito’s throat.

Naito kicks him in the leg. Taichi knows that means he needs to let go, and pushes Naito onto the floor. Naito coughs, glassy-eyed and yet not looking like a loser. "It's been six months," he says finally. "What's taking so long? Do you not want to be king after all?"

He's so angry. It's what Naito wants, which just makes him angrier. He doesn't know where to put the anger, if he's not going to become a murderer tonight. You don't take something away from Taichi and get away with it.

"I want you to stop breathing," says Taichi. "Or at least get your hand on my dick right now, since you've already wasted so much of my time."

They were always great at having sex after a fight and never resolving anything, since way back in Mexico.

"You're so in touch with your feelings. What a romantic," says Naito.

But sure enough, Naito pulls himself up to kneel with his hands fisted in Taichi's pants.

"Dry? Really?"

Taichi throws the bottle of lube he carries at Naito's face. It falls on the floor with a thump. Naito picks it up and smirks. He's always been amused that Taichi is prepared for sex, like that's a bad thing.

No, they certainly don’t make any attempt at romance. Just the constant give and take of opponents on a deeper level, a freer and more interesting one. Blood, saliva, base sensations. That's how Taichi likes it when he fucks other wrestlers. That's probably how Minoru likes it, but Taichi doesn't need to be thinking about him.

"What's your wife going to say when you come back looking like this?" Taichi says a bit later with Naito's hair in his fist, head wrenched back to match Naito's nails digging into his own head. Naito has him pushed against the wall, pants down around his ankles. Taichi’s proud to say that Naito’s lip is already bleeding.

Naito's stupid startled look doesn't last long enough for Taichi's tastes. He shrugs. "Oh, he'll shake his head and laugh at me, probably."

Naito's definitely lying, he's going to clean himself up and avoid Bushi until he can come up with a good excuse. No way would Bushi accept Naito fucking around on him, especially not with someone like Taichi.

The doubt must show through on his face, because Naito is shaking from trying not to laugh now.

"What, you think we haven't talked about you and me?"

"There is no you and me, that's disgusting."

"Whatever you want to call this, I've already discussed it with Bushi and he's fine with it. We're open with each other, it's called a healthy relationship. I sincerely hope that's what you have with your partners, it must be, right? Experienced Taichi must know how to do this properly."

“You’re not just delusional, you’re turning me off.” Taichi yanks Naito back into another kiss. What an asshole.

Taichi doesn’t fully get off with Naito. He watches Naito walk away, chattering on his phone with Bushi and about to enter the public like he doesn’t smell like sex and have a half-unbuttoned shirt on. Stupid Naito probably planned this out and led them right next to the bathrooms from the start.

Taichi’s half-hard again within 20 minutes, so he takes care of himself in the nearest room he can find. The terrible thing is that as he’s thinking of some idol, the memory of Minoru flexing for Ready To Kiss at one of his and Taka’s shows pops into his head. He could never figure out if Minoru swung that way, even after seeing so many innocent girls making a pass at him. But now he’s imagining walking into the wrong room, and there Minoru is, thrusting into that idol, and Minoru looks up and smiles at him--

He didn’t used to think about Minoru this often. It’s Naito’s fault for bringing him up.

\--

Taichi wasn't supposed to lose his first G1 match. Sure, he was fairly likely to get disqualified, pinned, submitted, or even counted out, but he wasn't supposed to lose. It doesn't really count as a loss to him if he doesn't try. Taichi certainly wasn't going to put up more than the obligatory resistance against a nobody foreigner hailing from WWE of all places.

But then when he went through that table. Taichi felt it immediately, the tear in his lower back, the instinctual panic that hits you when you realize soon you're going to be touching lots of your own blood.

The worst part is when you're staring at the wall as the doctor looks you over, waiting for his decision. What will Taichi do if he can't wrestle? Ibushi had won the G1 after an injury, but that was Ibushi. Taichi's nothing like him. There's always a chance that the doctor strongly recommends he skip the rest of the tournament, but leaves the decision up to him. And what would he choose? His long-term health? Does that even matter, when skipping this would kill his momentum?

Eventually Taichi gets the news. The doctor says that if he wants to be in perfect health, he shouldn't wrestle. But that's been true since Taichi began training. If he wants to, he can. The bad news is Taichi's strength and mobility will be decreased for a while. Using his finishers will be difficult. It might even extend into his match against Naito. Sure, it won't last long, but this wasn't how the G1 was supposed to go. It doesn't matter if it could happen to anyone. What kind of leader does he look like, getting injured after his first match?

One of the easiest ways to solve any problem is to turn to Twitter. Taichi's terribly sorry for the fans, but he's been badly lacerated, and he's probably going to quit the G1. He'll just have to ask his beloved Boss first and get his expert opinion on the matter. Taichi just can't decide whether he should continue on his own.

That'll distract people for a while. Everyone will think he's faking getting hurt to get out of wrestling or as an excuse for losing. Most of them will know he's not really quitting, but some will worry over it and that'll be worth a good laugh.

Taichi turns up at the next preview tag, holds his side a bit, tapes all over his back beyond even the area he was injured. Then he tweets out that he really isn't doing the next tournament match, unless his Boss says he should. It sucks that Taichi hasn't gotten the chance to talk to him yet, but maybe he'll be able to when they train together in the morning. If he can even bring his tortured body to train, that is.

Later that evening, Minoru calls him in to have a private meeting for the first time in a while. It’s a cramped, repurposed room, as usual. Someone could lie down on that threadbare couch and sleep forever. Of course, Minoru has to maximize your discomfort. A gigantic air conditioner is set to high and madly huffing out frozen air where the window should be. No escaping his gaze by looking outside.

Minoru's posture is relaxed, legs spread in his chair, his voice a steady drawl. "It's pathetic that I'm in the same position as Kojima now, isn't it?"

A cold sweat washes over Taichi. He wouldn't confront Taichi over this in an office, would he? This isn't something that can be resolved with mere words. Unless he really is content wrestling Taichi over the desk and making such a commotion that the rest of the faction comes running over. That sounds more like something he'd do with every second that passes.

"Don't look at me like that," says Minoru. Taichi drops his eyes to the ground. "Out of the G1. Only maybe it's more pathetic for me, because I haven't done everything in my power to enter. Even though I know I can, and that I am the most deserving, I've been lying here like an overheated dog."

"It'd be a waste of your time. You have more important concerns than pushing for less office incompetence." The words spill out of Taichi in his relief. What he said was bold, though agreeing Minoru is pathetic probably wouldn't go over well either. Taichi has always had permission to speak freely, as long as he accepts the consequences that come with that.

"Office incompetence… Yes, I do." Minoru pauses. "Taichi, do you have anything you want to ask me? Any especially pressing questions weighing on your heart?"

"I..." Clearly this is a test. Minoru is throwing him into the water and waiting to see if he swims. What does he have to do with Minoru being kept out of the G1? Minoru probably couldn't have traced Naito's choices back to him. Did Minoru feel slighted when he gave up that first G1 match? That's a safe enough response. "Did you have any thoughts on my match with Moxley?"

"I didn't watch it." Minoru stares at him, face terrifyingly blank. What the fuck. Their boss watches all of their matches, that's how it's always been. Minoru, Taichi means. Minoru must be really falling behind if he's changing his habits like this so suddenly. Or is this another show of disrespect towards Taichi? A way of saying, you're no longer any follower of mine, I'm kicking you out?

"I can tell you about it," Taichi says tentatively.

"Now you're interested in telling me things!" His voice rises, but he doesn’t yell. Minoru gets up and walks to the front of the desk. Taichi can feel his heart pound a little harder. "What about before, when you were telling everyone I would decide whether or not you're continuing with the G1? You were implying that I would ever resort to taking a hand-out slot from you."

It doesn’t matter that it’s not true. Minoru gets what he wants. His irrational anger, no, his petty bullshit has free reign over them all.

Taichi had insulted Minoru countless times online, albeit without ever directly naming him, and this was the one Minoru latched onto. The one that was only peripherally directed towards him, and wasn't intended as a warning at all. He doesn't care if Taichi wants what he has and is prepared to use violence to take it, but make him look foolish? That is a capital offense. It's as if he's as significant a threat to Minoru as a fruit fly.

"Kneel down."

The weight of one heavy leg against the hard floor and then the other. He doesn't have to think when Minoru gives him an order.

He doesn't have to think, but he does. This clearly isn't the end, because this is a punishment, and punishment means Minoru thinks he can improve. There's no improvement for traitors. But shouldn't he be above this? He's Minoru's fucking second-in-command!

When Taichi really thinks about it, he can't remember the last time Minoru consulted him on something. He had proven himself enough to the boss, he deserves better.

"Well? Aren't you going to beg for my advice?"

Minoru's hand presses down gently against his head. Taichi doesn’t resist, knowing he will pay if he makes Minoru push any harder. He's in the most formal bow, supplicating the king for something he doesn't need, all to feed the king's ego. Taichi is going to hold this moment deep in his heart forever, together with Kawada attacking him in front of a crowd and getting them to cheer for his betrayal, together with the boy in highschool he was forced to attack to prevent his own outing. And soon he'll make Minoru pay like he made them pay. Taichi can taste the glee of it on the tip of his tongue. Unless that's just bile. Taichi feels like he's about to throw up.

"Please, Boss, tell me whether I'm fit to wrestle."

"Say it like you mean it."

"I don't want to die in the ring. Boss, please don't let me die in the ring."

Minoru laughs and laughs. "It's pathetic that you think that little scratch is enough to put you in danger."

Last time I got hurt there I couldn't walk for days, Taichi didn't say. Did you stop paying attention to me?

"I've seen career ending injuries. So have you, you should know better. The only career ending thing you're anywhere close to is having that attitude anywhere that I can hear it. Now get up."

Taichi pulls himself up slowly, because if he doesn't he knows he'll be shaking, and letting Minoru see him like that is unforgivable. For a moment there, he's looking up at Minoru, and the position he's in is almost like they're having--

Minoru pulls him up the rest of the way. Taichi stares at the ground as Minoru caresses his cheek gently. Getting off with just a slap isn't so bad.

Then Minoru hugs him. Taichi pulls back a bit, confused, and then realizes how rejecting it might be taken. He tries to disguise the movement as putting his arms around Minoru. It feels good but it shouldn't be happening. Why does Minoru have such perfect control of his anger, to do this now and throw things mindlessly when the cameras are on him? Why does he think Taichi needs comfort? When is this going to be taken away, too?

A couple seconds later, as it turns out. Minoru lazily gestures at him to leave and he does, shutting the door quietly behind him. Taichi can say he learned something from this. Minoru is insecure as expected over his absence from the G1.

That doesn't explain the hug. It felt like pity. Why would he pity Taichi and not himself?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> japanese cultural note: in japan, most forms of gambling are effectively illegal. gambling was only legalized about a year ago, and licenses have yet to be given out to the companies that would be running it. on the other hand, there are very popular legalized exceptions, such as pachinko. as of 2017, about 3.2 million japanese people have experienced gambling addiction, but the heavy stigma around it often prevents them from seeking help.

Minoru puts a warm hand over the bandage on his lower back. Just light pressure-- it doesn’t hurt yet. 

“I’m using you today. You don’t mind, do you?” 

It’s been years since they last sparred. Pe had taken over that position long ago. But now Pe is injured, and here’s Taichi, ready and willing, no, eager... Taichi straightens up and turns his head to meet Minoru’s eyes. The thought of fighting again makes him so desirous that he can taste it pooling like acid in his mouth. 

The hand lifts. Minoru pats Taichi on the back and walks by. A tingling feeling spreads through Taichi’s body. 

Past Taichi’s shoulder is Uemura, fidgeting at his post in the stands. 

“Boy. Don’t make me say it again.” 

Uemura looks like he’s trying to avoid a count-out as he dashes towards the ring. 

It's a slap to the face, really. It’s as if Minoru’s saying, that’s who’s worth more than Taichi. At least he doesn’t let his body get in the way of his work. He's the only one out of any of them that's eagerly practicing like an honors student. 

So this is how Minoru passes the time now. Taichi grits his teeth, wants to come up with an excuse and rush out of the room. He's going to hit someone else if he doesn't. Maybe it’s just the weight of the insult. His frustration at not being able to challenge Minoru back. 

Minoru still thinks he’s weak. And yet that’s not something he wants to see in Taichi, so he’s corrected him. He’s disappointed. The wave of sadness that follows that thought is beyond embarrassing. 

It’s more likely a show of confidence. Minoru's saying he's just that much better than Taichi. 

“You’re letting him tease you,” says Nobu from behind him. 

Uemura screams. It’s muffled as he bites down on his fist. 

”That's pitiful," says Minoru. "Don't put on such a death-bed voice from just a body slam." 

“I’m not,” Taichi grits out. Teasing would be making a joke. Pairing attention with cruelty is a manipulation tactic. The person who taught him that is the one using it on him.

"Don't get distracted. You know he only likes sparring with people he can beat up."

"That just makes it more insulting, idiot."

“I don’t get it,” says Nobu, dead-pan. 

Their bodies snap together like a snake eating its tail. Uemura jerks back and forth in search of escape. The motions dissolve into short trembles. 

Minoru brought someone into the hotel with him yesterday. Not that he told any of them. Taichi heard an unfamiliar high voice crying out from the wall in between their rooms. He couldn't tell if they were fucking or if the person was getting violently blackmailed. Minoru was just as likely to do either. Why not use everything your body’s capable of to get what you want?

The noises had started to bother him. Part of Taichi wanted to bang on the door and demand they move somewhere else. Minoru never fucks around them, he values his privacy. It’s like the G1’s causing everything Minoru cared for to circle down the drain. 

By early morning Taichi is standing in the hallway, scrolling through Twitter on his phone. The door clicks open: it's a man, short and stocky, with wrinkled clothes like he just put back on yesterday's outfit and couldn't be bothered to hide it. Taichi slips the guy's lanyard out of his pocket as soon as he passes by. 

"You dropped this."

"Thanks." 

It's the voice from the night before. He shoves it back in his pocket and tucks in his shirt. It stretches down to reveal a large bite mark on his neck. Shameless. 

He grins. "Good luck out there."

"I already have great luck," says Taichi. 

Taichi looks up the name after he’s gone. It turns out he’s an investigative reporter, trusted by yakuza and police alike and unafraid to run into a mob to get a good photo. He looks like he doesn't care if he gets beaten up. Maybe he even likes it. 

That reporter could have been exposing something about Taichi, huh. Get an early scoop on exactly who is getting kicked out of Minoru's army and why and I'll fuck you senseless. What deal is more perfect than that? He probably thought there was a catch and yet couldn't help but give in anyway.

Thinking about them having sex brings the feeling of kneeling on the floor in front of Minoru flashing back. It probably wasn't about Taichi at all, was it. It’s not like the guy works for Tokyo Sports. Minoru doesn't think anything of him at all, and that's why he's going to die. 

There's a strain in his jaw whenever Taichi glances across at him. The way a person looks when they're being patient and they don't want to be. The traffic signal lets them walk through, they push past the other pedestrians as roughly as they like, and Minoru still looks like he's wishing they were in the parking lot of an arena where he could dent as many trash cans as he wants with his fists. It's hard not to feel a sick thrill of anticipation being two feet away from that. Taichi stops and helps an old woman carry her luggage. By the time he looks up Minoru's disappeared into the crowd. Compared to him everyone's the same wash of colors and skin. A swarm of ants more than people.

Minoru's the type to savor his food, but now he gobbles down every bite, wipes his mouth, and then pushes back from the table and leaves with barely a wave in their direction. What is he getting up to when he’s away, when he leaves them early? When he even leaves shows? Has he been attending other wrestling? Is he recruiting new people? 

He even forgot his things. Taichi picked through Minoru's discarded clothes that night and found blood under his collar. It was as if that was the one spot Minoru forgot to bleach out.

It seems he’s hiding his plans from his second-in-command. For sure he’s become distant right when they need him most, yet still thinks he deserves to be their leader. 

It’s okay. When he sees what Taichi can do to Naito in Sapporo, Minoru will start feeling like talking. Cheaters should be punished.

\---

It’ll feel good seeing Naito smile, Taichi had thought. He'll be like a widow welcoming the handsome police officer into her home, unaware he's about to tell her that her husband has died. Taichi will bug him until he agrees to get dinner, pretending to be nice to Naito right before he plans to hurt him. It’s the perfect way to put himself in the good mood he needs right now. Naito had done him a favor with the office, so it's only polite that Taichi pays him back. 

It had been a struggle even getting Naito to look at him. By the time Naito started talking, Taichi regretted ever coming. 

"I am not a follower," Taichi says slowly. 

“Well, he’s making you fight me, isn’t he? Everyone knows you wouldn’t have shown up on your own.” 

Taichi sneers. “You should have just taken your free dinner and shut up.” 

“You’re mad. You were never this mad when I called you that before.” Naito says it with relish. 

“That’s bullshit. Say, how’s it going, using your power to fuck all your followers?” 

Taichi’s been getting the urge to smother Bushi’s smarmy little face for a while now. Poor Bushi, paying for Naito’s sins. He should have known better than to ever pretend to love him. That has to be anger on Naito’s face. Taichi needs that to be anger. 

“I didn’t know your boss was in the room,” says Naito. 

Taichi slaps the wall next to Naito’s head. That’s disgusting, even worse than the follower comment he’s been making.

"Oh, right, he doesn't need to use his authority on you. You'll bend right over. What a perfect follower,” Naito says to Taichi’s arm.

Naito is so fucking wrong, and he knows it, so Taichi can’t make himself say it. And anyway, who doesn't want to fuck Minoru? If Naito was thinking clearly, he wouldn’t push this hard. That’s the opposite of how you get Taichi to do what you want. 

But his brain is clearly fucked up now. This must be the overwhelming power of Toru Yano. Losing your first G1 match in under five minutes stings when you’re a shounen protagonist. He just wants to try every weapon he has until one of them makes Taichi bleed. Makes anyone bleed, probably, while still being able to justify to himself that he’s doing the right thing. 

Taichi can redirect this. Someone else should know how terrible Minoru really is. 

“He punished me.”

Taichi doesn’t realize until he says it how much that moment has still been affecting him. It’s like he’s spitting burning coals out of his mouth. It hurts. Maybe he even wants to be pushed. Maybe he wants to forget all caution and kill him. 

"It was over nothing. He's messed up over the G1. Real messed up." 

Naito blinks. "Do you need me to tell you what to do with that?" 

"No. I know all I need to do is bend over and let him fuck me. That's what you meant, right?" Taichi spits out. 

"Alright. Fuck him until his career's over. You up for the challenge?" 

"This is wrestling, not porn."

"I keep forgetting you're the only one who hasn't had a taste of him. He wants to be ruined, Taichi. You can twist his arms out of their sockets and he'll beg for more. You'd be doing him a favor."

Taichi is not aroused. He is not. Naito’s lying, Minoru might be a slut, but Naito’s not even close to good enough for him. 

“Just ask for what you want. That’s what leaders do.” Naito's confidence makes everything sound so easy. It's the total opposite of the way he used to speak. Miracles do happen. 

The intoxicating thing is Naito thinks he can get away with it or he wouldn't be telling him to do it. He probably doesn’t mean it directly. There’s no way Taichi can ever have all of what he wants. But Naito thinks Taichi can make Minoru submit. He’s not just teasing Taichi over his inability. 

Taichi doesn't know what to do with that yet. 

“You think you're so good at using your tongue? Then suck my dick Naito. Suck my dick. Tetsuya.”

Taichi shoves at Naito’s head to try to force him down. Naito pushes him away and then gets to his knees on his own accord. This is the game Naito is okay with playing. This is how they always are. It's comforting. 

Naito gives bad head, so he didn’t fuck Minoru. Taichi isn’t the only one. Naito doesn’t swallow so it couldn’t have been him. Taichi’s going to kill Minoru before he ever gets the chance. He yanks at Naito’s hair to the point that Naito stops liking it. Shouldn’t he feel bad that he’s just a shitty replacement for Minoru? Minoru would like this. He would feel so fucking good. 

And then after. Because now Naito thinks it’s fun to spend time with him. 

“Taichi, you know when you shone the most to me? When you were on your knees… sniffling, as your extensions were hacked off your head. I’m not a sadist, don't take this the wrong way. It's because you had taken such a big risk, had given up your appearance that means so much to you. All to take the next step, to deliver the biggest wrestling performance you could. And now I finally am starting to feel like that Taichi is back.” Naito grins. “It’s exciting.”

Taichi’s mind is almost blank. It’s hard to think of those times without losing track of himself. Usually he can laugh, but… “The only reason I did that was because I thought Maximo was mocking us for being gay.” 

Naito raises an eyebrow. He clearly doesn't believe him. "You'll regret it forever if I have to do it for you."

\---

Taichi hates winning almost as much as he hates losing. The more he wins, the shorter the euphoria lasts. The less he’s able to hold off his gnawing hunger for more-- and the realization that the higher he reaches, the easier it’ll be to fail. 

So no, beating Naito isn’t enough. He has almost an entire G1 to get through without destroying himself, and all he can think about is how much his desire for Minoru has taken over him lately. There’s no reason to spend so much time watching him or to start having delusions that he’s plotting against Taichi. Minoru’s just busy training, or figuring out alternate career choices. That image sits bitter in his throat. It’s unnatural. Taichi doesn’t know what he’d do in Minoru’s position. He’s never had that much to lose. 

It’s the perfect time to ruin someone’s life, and like the good follower he is, Taichi has a way to do it that will also make Minoru money. 

Minoru has several side-businesses besides his personal shop. Most are dubiously legal at best. It wasn’t long after Taichi joined the faction that he was ordered to spend time in the tropical-themed casino. At first it hadn’t made sense. He wouldn't be able to offer much time while travelling to wrestle. Minoru had no shortage of staff, and prioritized hiring wrestlers who had trouble making ends meet. 

The fact that Minoru hand-picked these people yet begrudgingly accepted Taichi had grated on him. He probably trusted them more, even if they didn’t fit perfectly into his vision for the faction. Taichi had pushed to know why he had to go, shouldn’t he focus on his own training, didn’t Minoru have some other task for him that he was better suited for… 

Of course, asking that kind of question means getting a brutal answer. 

“This is about learning control.”

“I swear I don’t have a gambling addiction,” Taichi had said, like a brat. 

“If I took most of your money right now, you would put the rest in the lottery and then beg to live with me,” said Minoru. 

“Well yeah, I’d want to live with you even if you didn’t do that.” 

Minoru snorted. “You can never let yourself forget about the consequences that could result from your actions. Whether that’s taking out a loan or causing permanent damage to someone’s body. Being a good heel means being able to gain more without losing what you already have.” 

That message had gotten through. Taichi took to learning how to collect from the customers indebted to the casino with concentration. He didn’t get scared away from the lottery, though. Or betting on horse-racing. Or pachinko. They’re legal, so why not indulge? 

There was a lot of lee-way to be had. Admitting you’ve been gambling on cards as much as these people did would get them jailed or fined exorbitant amounts, so they rarely tried to get outside help. But they didn’t want the customers to get damaged too permanently, or it would be bad for business. There’s a delicate balance in how long you hold a person in one position, whether or not you beat them after, and even whether they can handle any physical damage at all without breaking. Taichi had to learn how to gauge that and temper his strength. 

It wasn’t easy. Minoru wouldn’t let Taichi have weapons or special equipment, just tables, chairs, and chains. He mostly had to repurpose the training he had already had for torture rather than competition. At first Taichi was too used to other wrestlers that could take whatever he gave them. Luckily Minoru was there to clean up after him. 

“Taking a hand is kind of boring. How about an ear?” Taichi has gone through three people today already. 

“I really wasn’t running away, it was a work trip! I’ll get in the next payment on time!” 

This guy has already been brought to tears by Taichi talking bullshit to him in a scary voice. It’s boring. This isn’t what he came for. 

Taichi steps forward and he shivers, rattling the chains around his arms. He’s just sitting on the floor, there’s no restriction. Taichi wants to wrap him up like the positions he’s seen in kink magazines and then hang him from the ceiling. The guy would be close to suffocation in a matter of minutes. He can’t do a bad job where Minoru will see, though. 

“I’ll consider just taking your driver’s license if you tell me where it is now. You won’t like it if I have to search you.” 

“You’re lying! I can tell that person wants to hurt me!” 

What? 

Taichi’s heart picks up. Well, debtors do fall into delusions sometimes. 

Before he can think of what to say, an arm shoves itself under his neck. It’s the beginning of a sleeper hold. Taichi jerks his head back and hits their chin. Fuck. They groan, but their grip doesn’t loosen. This is an expert. Their leg is locked between his, their hand is firm on his head, Taichi kicks wildly but--

Taichi wakes up feeling like he’s in the middle of a match, dazed and full of pain. If he keeps his eyes closed maybe he can wish his way into being somewhere else. 

That doesn't work any better than it does in the ring. It's unreal. There's never been an attack like this before. Security is good, and the employees all work together tightly. Taichi locked the door behind him, didn’t he?

“I didn’t want to do this in front of our guest. You should have answered your phone.”

Oh. It’s Maki. He would have just used his own key. 

Taichi always knew Maki hated him for taking over part of his job, no matter how infrequently he came. He seemed to think it was nepotism. Still, Taichi would never have expected this. 

Taichi is strung up in his own chains, forced to crouch longer than any human being is designed to, the same fate as the losers who think they can steal money from Minoru Suzuki. Burning pain pulses down his thighs and ankles. 

He shouldn’t have been out long enough for this to happen. His legs are shaking already. That’s a bad sign. 

“You’ll never be safe again.” Taichi’s proud of how smug he sounds despite his panic. 

“Really, what makes you say that?” Maki says. “You’re going to snitch? The boss will never believe you. I feel bad for you, really.”

Taichi breathes deeply, trying to control himself. The awful thing is, it’s probably true. Minoru practically saved this guy from homelessness. What reason would Maki have to undermine him? 

“Fuck, I’m glad it’s you, honestly. If it was anyone else I might hesitate, but you’re such an asshole I’d do this for free.” 

“Have you ever looked in the mirror?” 

Taichi’s words are ignored, even after Taichi tries to spit in Maki's direction. “Remember, you don’t know who grabbed you. I promise you'll end up better if you don’t.” 

“What’s the point of this? Did the boss finally fire you for being such a shit worker?”

Maki’s eyes narrow. “I saw an opportunity and I took it. No one will ever think to look for you here. When’s the last time you came around, anyway?”

“So just bloodlust? If this is just for pleasure, you’re really boring for someone so sick.” 

Maki kicks him in the chest, rough and without finesse. Taichi tastes sour vomit in the back of his throat.

“You’re the sick one, always hanging off of the boss,” says Maki. “I never understood why he tolerated it.”

Oh, so he’s a garden-variety gay hater. Even more original. 

Taichi laughs. “How do you know he was just tolerating it? You never know, maybe we’ve been fucking all along.” 

This is the moment that the door bursts open, and Minoru chooses to come charging in, barely assessing the situation before he strikes Maki in the neck and has him trapped under him on the floor. 

“Boss? How?” Taichi’s tone drops from its confident register. He can't hold it back now that he's safe. “You were so fast.”’

“I got a call from his manager. Maybe some of the people here still have a sense of loyalty.” 

That dark tone makes something twist in Taichi’s gut. It’s not good. He knows this feeling. 

“Boss, you don’t understand. He tried to attack me. I had to do something,” says Maki. Oh, the desperate look in his eyes feels good. Minoru picked Taichi, not him. 

“I know who paid you." Minoru smiles cruelly. "I just didn’t think it would be you who would say yes.” 

Maki gulps. 

Minoru tortures Maki in a rush, expertly moving from one part of his head to the next. It's not quite the show it usually is. Maybe he’s too upset that he picked out a traitor to savor it. 

It's nice just to be able to watch him without having to make up a reason to justify it. Taichi has always thought Minoru is more attractive when he's performing. Taichi's the only audience now. He's that foolish young man again, in awe of the boss who decided he was special, swooning as he's saved. 

Taichi should feel more embarrassed. No, he should be angry and Minoru should be embarrassed, this is an unreasonable situation that should never have happened. After a shock like that he can't bring himself to stop filling with admiration. It's only natural to be grateful when someone helps you. 

Minoru's treatment of Maki's eyes is getting hypocritical. What ever happened to control? 

"Boss, I think he passed out." 

Minoru snorts. "Even more pathetic." 

He slaps Maki across the face and gets no response.

"Well, let me look at you."

"Boss, I'm fine."

"I won't forgive myself if you're hurt," Minoru insists. "Your legs are the most important. What will you do if they lock up unexpectedly?" 

"Boss…" 

He doesn't know what he'll do if he lets his boss look under his clothes and touch him. Taichi does know what he'll want, and Minoru will probably notice.

"I'll see the doctor tomorrow morning and give you a full report," Taichi manages to say. 

"You're very strong," Minoru says softly. 

"It was nothing. Of course I'm fine." 

Keeping eye contact is uncomfortable. It's always tense between the two of them lately, but now somehow there's a sense of understanding there too. Taichi doesn't want to let go. 

It's time to let go. Taichi can't let himself formulate reasons to have mercy. 

"There's blood on your cheek."

"Oh?"

Taichi steps closer and points to the spot. Minoru sucks on his finger, then swipes over his cheek and licks the blood off. Total shamelessness. 

Taichi bites down on his lip. "Ah, you missed some."

Minoru leaves the body there for someone else to deal with. 

They step out onto the entertainment floor together. Minoru keeps a fast pace. He must not want to be recognized. Even with a mask and a hat, the swirls of Minoru’s hair are distinct. 

Minoru had really been saying, the worth of your body is how well it can serve me, hadn't he? This wasn't how he acted when he thought Taichi's injuries were insignificant. 

A woman jolts up from her table. “I knew it was strange when you invited me. He’s blackmailing you, isn’t he?” 

Well then. 

The person that she had been speaking to frantically tries to pull her back down, but it’s futile. She’s already walking towards Minoru, dangerously brave. 

"You lure the weaker of us first and threaten them until they bring in the rest of us. That's how you're keeping New Japan in the palm of your hand, isn't it?” 

Taichi's instinct is to lash out at her and deny everything. But that's not his job. Taichi sees how calm Minoru is, so he knows that it'll be okay. Whether or not she’s telling the truth, Minoru must have handled people like this before.

"Are you threatening me? What are you trying to do?" says Minoru. 

Most of the customers are ignoring them. This really must not be so unusual, or they're that obsessed with gambling. It's almost admirable. 

"I-- What you should be asking is what you're going to do to prevent me from going to the police. I’m not going to give up because you glare at me." 

Minoru draws Taichi in against his side, as if to protect him. That warm, muscular arm, holding him. Taichi almost forgets about the woman and everything else. He's really still willing to treat Taichi this way, to pretend that nothing's changed. 

Someone overturns a table, chips scattering everywhere. When he looks back the woman is on the floor with several of the employees standing around her, keeping her down. Her phone is cracked next to her. It must have been recording everything before this. In an investigation, its data inside would probably still be recoverable, but why would things ever go that far? 

"Nothing you say matters. If you try to stake out this location, we'll move earlier. Do you understand? You are a fly, nothing more than a nuisance to others." 

Power. So this is what it feels like. 

Minoru steps on her chest and she wheezes angrily. 

Then he steps on her hand. There's a sick cracking sound. 

"Thank you for doing business with us. The bill for tonight will be sent to your account." 

Taichi is really going to miss having days like this.


	3. Chapter 3

You don't get a break from wrestling just because you were kidnapped. If your body can wrestle, you will wrestle. 

That's how it sinks in, what's happened, holding his body after the match and wondering if he'd notice the pain less if he wasn't so stressed. Maybe Taichi will be stronger now as a result… no, he can't bullshit himself into a blessing mindset. That whole match he had been thinking, what's the point, why am I not giving up? Somehow his body moved on its own. Is that really better than having control and choosing to fail? He’s a zombie while the whole world is watching him.

It'll be hard to go out alone again. Really Taichi should do it anyway out of spite, but for now he'll bring a friend. It's been a while since he took Nobu to fuck girls anyway. That's a rare time he feels like he gets to see a sincere face on Nobu, so he snatches it up before it disappears. 

They could have grabbed Taichi all this time and he never would have expected it.

Danger has always come from within his home. Outsiders question his choices, pity him, tell him to go away. They don’t attack him. But clearly they attack Minoru. They live in different worlds. Taichi spends his free time on the computer and Minoru spends it avoiding people who want him shut down or dead, evidently. 

So there’s still a lot more Taichi has to learn. That’s okay. He’s close to the person who can teach it to him. 

Taichi's back is pressed against the air conditioner. He's only wearing his dressing gown, and it's so cold it's nearly painful. His hair dances forward. He wants to look sexy but instead he feels crumpled. 

It's just the two of them. Minoru hasn’t disappeared yet. Maybe he feels he can't leave Taichi alone without Taichi hurting himself. 

"What happened to him?" says Taichi. 

"Oh, I left it up to the others. He didn't deserve to be in my sight anymore." 

"And the woman?" 

"Her friend was kind enough to drive her home."

“Maybe I should pay her a visit.” 

Minoru smiles like a scuffle is breaking out in front of him. 

“I’m disappointed in myself for standing back when someone insulted you. I should have cracked her jaw.” Isn’t Taichi a great follower? 

“Don't sound so excited to beat up a woman.”

“Sorry Boss.” It sounds insincere even to Taichi. 

"You make it sound like I couldn't defend myself."

You couldn't defend me even if you had wanted to, Minoru doesn't say. You were weak. You got caught. 

"I work there. It's my job to save you time," says Taichi. 

"Well, in this case, you're fired." 

Bang. So that's a delicate area. Taichi isn't allowed to go near her and this is the last chance he'll get to stop bringing it up. 

He's going to have to work to get anything out of Minoru, then. Even getting directly involved in Minoru's business isn't a reason to work together-- his property is too precious. 

"It has nothing to do with your performance. I'm more than willing to write you a recommendation letter for anywhere."

"Do you have time? You've barely been around. I wouldn't want to get in your way." Taichi wants it to sound like a threat. 

"You could never get in my way, Taichi." It's practically sweet, like he thinks Taichi is just lonely for his company. Time to call his bluff. 

"So you'll go out for drinks with us tonight?"

“Maybe.”

Taichi grits his teeth. 

"You were kidnapped. Don't you think that's the part you should be focusing on?" Minoru doesn't say it kindly. "You were in there longer than it felt. You could have died."

This is probably meant to scare him away from asking questions. 

That shouldn't work, but it does. 

Taichi can't lash out and say he's lying. He can't show fear and prove Minoru right. His silence is saying something terrible already. He'll have to regroup later. Right now Taichi needs to cut at him. 

“I wasn’t afraid of dying because I knew you would come for me.” It’s not exactly true, but he wants it to be. 

They both know he's human. 

“You should be afraid. You have so much more to throw away.” Minoru shakes his head. “I failed this time, but there’s a reason this has never happened before. It’s not that the world is a compassionate place. Think about it.” 

He should have thought of it as a gift. Every time Taichi thinks of the way Minoru held him his resolve crumbles a little more. 

\--

Minoru didn't come for dinner, wasn't there for Taichi stealing from Zack's vegetable plate or a group of girls asking to touch Lance's hair. He wasn't there when they got bored of the first bar and then kicked out of the second one. 

He's here now, though. It's starting to get light outside and everything is hilarious. Taichi had laughed out loud just at the sight of him. 

"You all should come to Bloodsport next year," the boss is saying. "There aren't any ropes, so there's no escape. You're forced to endure everything. It's more real, in life you never get an easy way out." 

"I wanna go," Zack mumbles into Taichi's shoulder. 

"Hmm… Taichi, would you ever do it?" 

Taichi pats Zack idly. "If the right person asked me to." 

"We could all go on vacation…" says Zack. 

Taichi pictures them all piled together in Hawaiian shirts, the boss leading the way like a middle-aged tourist herding his family. He laughs. 

"Don't be scared. I know you're capable of doing well if you want to." What a nice thing to say. It's unlike him, he must really want this. 

"Right now, sure. But who knows how much strength any of us will have next year?" Taichi grins thinly. "When times are changing, maybe you'll want the fucking rope break." 

Zack hadn't liked that the only way to enter and exit was through a steep flight of stairs. Taichi hadn't understood why, but now he does. His vision is swimming, his mood dropping as he imagines taking one wrong step and shattering his arm. It's like a cliff at the end of the world. He considers sitting down and shuffling down each step on his ass, but what if he went too fast? 

He has the strength to go down one step and stands there for forever, shivering in the wind. 

"It really is like old times," says his boss. 

He offers his arm and Taichi takes it. Now he's in a familiar situation, knows he'll be safe because the boss is as constant as the wall. 

It's been maybe a year now since Taichi had last relied on him, but it used to be somewhat of a routine, that the boss would take care of him when he was drunk. He was a good boss. Taka had left him alone one too many times. 

"Let's figure out where we're going next," Taichi says feebly. "Just let me grab my phone." This is an almost impossible effort with one hand and little eyesight. 

"I'd say you're already close to getting sick. Is that what you want?" 

"Right now it's worth it," says Taichi, now patting near Minoru. 

"I won't stop you. But I could take you home, if that's what you'd prefer." He sounds too fucking charming. 

It's ridiculous. That's the best idea he's had all week. Well, it wasn't his idea, but that's just semantics. 

\--

Taichi dreams. They're working in a rose garden, surrounded by the fresh smell of the blooms. No dirt or fertilizer, just long, sharp pruning scissors. 

Taichi has to hold himself back from plucking each one he works on. They're unbearably beautiful, but they're meant for sale. 

Eventually he can't help it. Taichi reaches in and grabs one, squashing it in his hands. 

They come back bloody and covered in cuts. 

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" 

The roses are gone as Minoru licks away the blood. 

\--

"What do you mean he took me home? Miho, I can't be alone with him!" 

"I left at dinner. I know you remember that." He can just tell she's doing her hair through the call. 

"Someone should have done something. I'm humiliated. I can smell him on me."

Naito was clearly right about him being a follower. He's a child. He's less than dirt. 

"Oh!" she exclaims cutely. "So you're emasculated by this, not taking it up the ass. I understand." 

"I knew I should have made you and Pe stay longer."

Miho scoffs. "Despe could barely walk he was so out of it. You have no room to ask him when you're the one who chose to get this drunk."

Taichi stays silent. It wasn't really a choice. 

"Seriously. You’re almost 40. When are you going to grow up? Just be glad you didn't get hurt." 

That's what everyone says. It still stings. 

"I'm dealing with a lot right now, okay?" says Taichi. 

Taichi had barely told Miho any of it. She would definitely disapprove. There's no point in being nice to someone if it tanks your career, and that's exactly what he's doing. His heart is pudgy soft. 

"Call me back when you're over it. You're not fun like this." Miho hangs up. 

Getting in that argument had done nothing to soothe him. Taichi had really woken up to the scent of Minoru's cologne. It was as if Minoru was right next to him. He jerked his eyes open in confusion and found himself lying on the couch in his apartment, a jacket with, sure enough, Piledriver insignia half-draped over him. At this rate all his plans are going to be ruined. He'd give in without a fight. 

If taking Taichi home wasn't enough, leaving the jacket was definitely meant to humiliate him. Doing the polite thing and returning it would force Taichi to acknowledge what had happened. 

The right response then is definitely to keep it. That forces Minoru to confront him if he wants it back. Then Taichi can pretend he lost it or forgot about it, showing how little he cares, and make a dig at Minoru's finances. It's fine, no one acts right when they're drunk. 

Taichi hugs the jacket to him. It smells good. He puts his hand around his own throat and squeezes, eyes closed. It's not a perfect fit, his hands are smaller than Minoru's, but he can probably delude himself anyway. 

\--

This is a memory Taichi will never forget. 

Years in the past, Minoru is listening to the crowd. They're chanting at Taichi to leave. He's just ruined their entertainment. 

"You're doing the right thing. That level of reaction will make you rich."

Praise from Minoru always feels too good to be true. Fans hate him for the things Taichi does in Minoru's interest, so maybe he's just saying that to keep Taichi on his side. But he's right that they can't keep their eyes off Taichi. It's what he's always wanted. 

"Let's go out and celebrate tonight," Taichi says with cheer. 

"I have somewhere to be. I'll owe you a drink."

“Then I'll go with you.” 

Minoru rolls his eyes. “You wouldn’t like it there.” 

“I’ll be fine if it’s with you. I’ve barely seen you lately…” 

Minoru searches his face. It goes on so long Taichi rears up for a fight, but then he smiles and says: 

“Alright.” 

The sudden turn from tension to joy is staggering. Taichi can't believe his luck. 

They eventually get to a suburban neighborhood, cars filling up the street. Minoru is tapping on his phone as soon as they've found a spot to park, and then he's drawing neatly folded bills out of his wallet. 

"Is this for a job?" says Taichi, unable to contain his excitement. 

"You'll see."

Minoru knocks on the side-door of one of the identical houses. The person who opens the door looks like the kind of guy Taichi would expect to see working at a 24/7 convenience store-- pale and glaring and tired of dealing with your shit. 

He puts out his arm to block the door frame. The sound of mingling voices floods out. "Finally got a real job, huh? You turned your nose up at me and now you're missing events."

"It's as real as watching people fuck for a living," Minoru says happily. What, is this some kind of porn shoot? That can't be right. Maybe he's usually a shut-in who plays erotic computer games. 

"If only that were it. What do you know, you hit yourself on the head for fun."

"You say that while leeching off the money I make from it. Dirty hypocrite." 

"Well, clearly I am dirty." He sneers. "Welcome back." 

Minoru inclines his head and hands him the cash. His body is loose, unready for anything but chatter. So Minoru has friends he lets talk to him like this. 

“And who’s this? Your boyfriend?”

Taichi catches Minoru's eye and just barely shuts up before he says something stupid like "Unfortunately not!" in response to what is almost certainly a bad joke. 

“Just a work friend," says Minoru. 

The bouncer’s eyes are lingering on Taichi’s arms and pecs. As he should, Taichi worked hard on them. Though… maybe it wasn't a joke, and this guy is gay. 

“Ah. Should have known, with that hair.” 

The boss laughs. “Some of us look boring.” 

“Well, have fun. Don’t cause any trouble.” 

It's uncomfortably warm inside the house, and the smell. It's like people are having sex in here. Taichi's heart beats faster. 

Men in various states of undress are crowded around the landing. It's strange and tantalizing seeing men with average body types shirtless. Stranger still are the costumes--

"Come on. Don't stare." 

So it's some kind of party. Taichi hadn't imagined his boss casually chatting in this kind of environment, but it's not like he knows much about his life outside of work yet. Maybe he's just meeting a client. 

"Last chance to back out." 

They both know there's no backing out unless Taichi runs and leaves Minoru stranded here. That would be very bad for both of them. 

"I told you already." Taichi doesn't care if Minoru goes out and kills somebody. Taichi will follow him anywhere. 

They enter a bedroom on the left. Three men stand ominously around another kneeling on the bed in nothing but very tight briefs. He's big, but not muscular. That's the opposite of Taichi. The switches are off, their only illumination harsh lamp-light. 

"He's not satisfied with us. I think he needs your touch," one of them says in dark tones. 

"I haven't made up for it yet. Please," says the man on the bed. 

"Koji… you've been tricking men again, haven't you?" 

What the fuck, Taichi whispers to himself. 

"Yes." Koji stares at the ground. 

"How should I punish you? I don't know if you deserve to be touched." 

"Maybe your hands would be enough." 

The sound of the first hit is loud because he's so close, but Taichi knows he's being gentle. The next ones are the same. The most reaction Koji gives is a slight shiver. He seems determined to stay still and take it without reacting. 

Taichi doesn't know what his place is here. It's like seconding Minoru, feet away from the work but ultimately a hanger-on. Secure that he's there if Minoru wants him, not needs him. But in this case Minoru isn't sparing him a glance like he would in the ring. All his attention is on the naked guy, like he can keep him in place with his eyes. 

"You were very good, giving us all this skin to work with," says Minoru. 

Koji nods shyly. Taichi can just barely see the bruised pink of his cheek. 

He's like a girl in an erotic manga. Oh. Is that it, Minoru is helping some guy get off as a job? But then, Minoru had paid at the door. He… paid for the privilege of hitting this scrawny guy, when he does so much more in the ring every week. 

Punishing people, day and night. That is a pretty bad personality. Taichi is fascinated and oddly disappointed. 

Minoru hits harder and harder. Koji withstands it all. It's like a wrestler accepting pain to fire himself up, but this body isn't built to be hit, and this isn't a fight at all. 

Minoru slaps him directly on the nipple and Koji gasps. 

"You liked that. I thought this was punishment." 

"No. It hurts." 

"You're tricking me too. Look how hard you've made me." 

Koji's hand is trembling.

Taichi feels something tremble inside himself too. Or maybe something hot being placed in him, getting hotter and harder to hold inside. He wants to see if Minoru really is hard. 

"Should I use matches?" 

Minoru takes a box out of his pocket. It's a rhetorical question. Either this is a routine, or Minoru has total power over everything that happens here. 

The smell of the fire is startling. Koji's pupils grow as he watches it get closer and closer to his body.

Minoru blows it out before it touches him. 

Taichi can tell Minoru is grinning even without seeing his face. Fuck. 

Then Minoru strikes a match right under Koji's nipple. His whole body jerks. 

"Can I forgive you?" 

"No. I need to be burned." 

Koji holds out his hand. Taichi wants to look away but he can't. This is what Minoru brought him to see. This is what Minoru likes. 

Koji's palm is on fire.

Would Taichi be able to take that? 

"Come on, breathe slower."

"But I want it to hurt."

Minoru brushes back the fire, cruelly tender. "Be a good boy."

Taichi bites down on his cheek. 

Having experienced the pain of his own body burning, Koji still holds out his other hand. 

"We shouldn't even be doing this. What if I set the house on fire because your desire's grown so big, and then the newscasters have to say that it was your sex party gone wrong?"

Minoru lights the other palm. "Will you sell yourself to make up the cost?" 

"That's enough. I'm sorry."

The fire is out, the matches tucked away. 

"I forgive you." The other men echo his sentiment. Taichi had forgotten they were even there. 

They're bringing out lotion and rubbing it on his hands. Minoru is wiping the tears out from under Koji's eyes. 

So Minoru is some kind of sex god. Taichi kind of already knew that, but this is something else. The distance between them just increased another thousand miles. 

The question is, even if he likes fucking around with men, does Taichi have a chance? Maybe if Taichi picks his spot when Minoru is horny enough he’ll get something. He doesn’t want to get hurt, but if it got Minoru to look at him like that… Taichi is dazed. He's really this powerful. 

“So what do you think of me now?” Minoru’s in front of him now with a vicious grin on his face. 

Taichi thinks, you’re the hottest thing I’ve ever seen, and I follow some really quality gravure models. 

He breaths in. “If you’re that good at getting guys to follow you, we should keep some of them around as meat shields.” 

“He’s not following me, I’m following him. He's special. Most people can’t keep up with me.” 

Taichi can’t keep up with him. That’s probably true. 

“Well, I’m impressed. Most people would be on the ground right now.” 

Because of shock, or because Minoru had put them there? That isn't much of a compliment. 

“Can we hang out now?” says Taichi. He has a million questions he wants to ask, and he doesn't know how to word any of them. 

“We just did.” The grin subsides. “I have something to do. Go chat, no one will touch you.” 

“And then he just left me like that,” Taichi complains to a man in a fake cop uniform thirty minutes later. 

“You’ve been with men, right?” 

“Yeah. Of course, I think most wrestlers have at least once.” 

“Mmm, well. Okay. He must have picked up on you and that’s why he brought you here.” 

Taichi sighs yet again at the fact that there’s not even a pint of alcohol in the entire fucking house. “I don’t think so. I think he just wanted to scare me into leaving him alone.”

“No, I know Minoru, he’s a private guy.” That's true. It's almost more that he wants people to think that he’s not human at all. “The fact that he’s showing you this says... you mean something to him, whatever that is.”

It is hard to imagine Minoru being worried over what Taichi thinks of him. He could always just beat Taichi up. “So if I did like men, I’d get laid. He wanted me to celebrate properly.” 

“I wish my boss was that nice.”

“Then quit.”

“Fuck off, you don’t know my situation. Not many people like ex-cops.” 

“Hahaha, for good reason!”

It’s probably better that Taichi stays distant from Minoru. People have never stuck by him. And if Taichi gets even a little more kindness, or even a little taste of Minoru, he’s not going to want to let go. 

Taichi learns Minoru has a botched tattoo of a tiger on his crotch that he refuses to get removed. Once you make friends with him, he’ll send you holiday cards and free coupons in the mail. He sucks dick like he’s trying to suffocate himself, and he goes through guys so quickly he’s probably never had a real boyfriend. 

Taichi hadn’t been afraid to ask questions about Minoru. Now he’s gotten himself half-hard. He tries to adjust himself subtly, but in this kind of place everyone stares at your crotch. 

“All the guys in here are eyeing you, you know.” 

Yeah, that’s a hungry look in the eyes of the man who’s name Taichi has already forgotten after twenty minutes of talking. He probably doesn’t have anyone better to be with, or he wouldn’t be with Taichi. Who cares? 

“I know I said you weren’t my type but… can I touch you?” 

It’s so natural to say yes. Before this, Taichi had loved sex, but he never felt sexy. Here, sitting on this man’s lap with a hand down his pants, undoubtedly being admired by all the people watching, he feels reborn. He’s someone who cums after grinding on someone’s lap and barely being touched, who looks strangers in the eye as he does it. Maybe he’s a little more than human too. 

\--

Halfway through the tournament, Minoru finally has a job for them. 

Taichi puts on a beanie and a pair of sunglasses. He instinctively zips down his jacket to expose his chest. Then he remembers for once he's not trying to show off his body and zips it back up. Why is he even wearing this necklace if it's drawing attention to nothing, if no one else can see it…

"Try not to be conspicuous," Minoru had said. Between the two large foreigners and Taichi's hair that seems almost impossible. 

They had all been hanging out in Nobu's makeshift hotel room bar, snacking on edamame. Their selfish boss is taking away their drinking time. It's practically medically necessary with how poorly Zack is feeling. 

Now they're walking to a restaurant to wait in case Minoru needs back-up for whatever he's doing in the alley next to it. It's still pretty warm, so Lance is wearing a cut-up shirt that covers almost nothing. People around them are visibly frowning at his tattoos, even though he's a foreigner. 

"Why'd you have to bring a knife? Aren't we wrestlers?" 

Lance chuckles. "Weren't you ever a boy scout? Always be prepared." 

"Boy scouts are trash. And stop pretending America is the center of the world." 

Taichi is definitely lucky he's gotten close to Zack and learned enough English to understand some of their bickering. Nobu, able to totally ignore them, is care-free. Taichi will have to give an early tip to the waiter for dealing with them.

Lance and Zack enter first to get their own table. Then Nobu and Taichi a few minutes later. It's all a charade. If he really needed them they would be out there, fighting with him. They're as good as grunts. 

Taichi is in a bit of a bad mood after getting ordered around. He can't see what's happening outside, he just has to sit here and twirl his straw while Minoru narrowly avoids getting kidnapped or something. 

There's an instant call button Minoru is meant to press if he needs them, but what if he can't reach it? He'd never gotten in much trouble before but this whole thing is still stupid. 

Before they left, Taichi had planted a bug on Minoru. It had been easier than he expected, he just 'accidentally' brushed by him and attached it to his jeans. In Taichi's ear are the muffled sounds of a conversation. Nothing dangerous yet. Maybe they'll have to sit here for hours and nothing will happen. 

There's only one fool-proof cure for boredom. 

"Do you know what I'm wearing?" Taichi asks Nobu. 

"No. What does it matter?" 

"I picked it out just for you." 

Taichi unzips his fly. Underneath are lacy red panties. 

"Why would that work on me!" Nobu presses his knuckles to his eyes. 

"I know you. And I have a funny way of making things work." 

Taichi twists his ankle around Nobu's under the table. Nobu kicks at him. 

"You're really not in the mood? I'm in the mood. It'll be quick, I'll even let you fuck me." Taichi realizes how edgy his voice just sounded and cringes. 

"Even if I was interested… I don't want to answer the boss's call smelling like sex." 

"Why not? I bet Pe would do it." 

"I'm beginning to think you hate me."

Taichi palms his dick and watches Nobu's expression sour even further. This is fun. He's still pissed off. 

"Maybe I should leave and go fuck Pe if you won't help, how about that?" 

It's unlikely Nobu will defy orders to protect Pe. So now he has to decide whether Taichi will actually do it, and then deal with the guilt if he does. Taichi has no plans on leaving, but how could Nobu know that? 

"Okay. Go. And I'll tell the boss exactly why you fucked him over." Nobu really isn't pleased. He looks exhausted. All in all, that's pretty low casualties. 

When Taichi finally hears sounds of fighting and slips out, no one is unhappy to see him leave. 

Taichi comes up behind the first person he sees try to hurt Minoru and stabs them. They scream and fire their gun at the ground.

Minoru looks at him in shock, but thankfully isn't distracted enough that he doesn't twist back the arm attempting to punch him. 

The gun is easily wrenched out of their hands, the knife messily pulled out. Taichi steps on their face for good measure. He can hear Minoru laughing.

There are two more people, a man and a woman, both coming at Minoru. The woman is angled towards Taichi, as if she wants to attack him but has orders against it. 

Taichi has no such qualms. He wipes his knife on his jacket and runs up to her, kicks at her leg. She stumbles back. Taichi tries to stab her but she grabs his arm and twists it back. Fuck. While he's struggling to overcome her strength she aims a hit at his throat. Taichi kicks it astray. 

Without the threat of being shot, Minoru is clearly fighting with more freedom. He doesn't have to stick close, he just pummels away. It would almost be relaxing to watch if Taichi wasn't still trying to stab someone. Taichi wonders if he's grateful. Maybe Minoru had a plan all along to get rid of the gunman and Taichi fucked it up. 

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" asks the woman Taichi's fighting. He's surprised she's not more afraid of it. She's actually willing to look at him and not just the bloody blade. 

"He pitied you and decided to show mercy," Minoru calls back. 

It feels good hearing that, just a little. But Taichi is happy to play up the incompetence. He swings a little more wildly, trying to keep her attention on avoiding the knife, and when he gets close enough, he kicks her straight in the crotch. 

The sound she makes when he stabs her makes him feel bursting with life. What did cute little Zack know. Taichi was right to buy this and train with it, even if it didn't have any use in wrestling. He can do whatever the fuck he wants. 

Taichi knows he's not doing a good enough job subduing her and didn't do enough with the other one. He doesn't care. He suddenly wants so badly to fight with Minoru, not just near him. 

And Minoru makes space for him. They dominate the man he's fighting easily. They live to fight, how can he compare? 

It's almost intimate. Taichi pulls back his hair and rakes his eyes while Minoru squeezes his throat. They fit perfectly together, as they always have. Minoru's smiling at him. Taichi shouldn't have worried he'd be unwanted here. This is where he belongs. 

They don't talk, when it's all over and it's too quiet. Taichi can feel the pain starting to set in, the sweat getting into uncomfortable places. Minoru is on the phone. He probably has to, if he's going to get this cleaned up before anyone notices. 

The bodies are all gathered together, and Taichi wants to kill them, he wants them to do it together, except. He doesn't know who they are, or why they were fighting Minoru. 

He's willing to hurt anyone who hurts Minoru, but why doesn't he know what's going on here? Minoru doesn't tell him anything. Taichi's just another follower. 

**Author's Note:**

> my first real attempt at fic, pygmalion, was really supposed to be more about taichi and despys relationship than despy and zacks. taichi took up the story so much that my friends and i joked he was the main character. but really, it was true in a way. i was thinking so much about taichi, trying to understand him, wanting to write about him, and yet i was doing it through the vehicle of a romance that didnt even involve him. so the natural resolution to that was.. giving him his own fic. and after a year of work, here this is, his own fic. hes become my favourite wrestler in the process. 
> 
> if you want an explanation of what i think about taichis character in short essay form, you can check that out here: https://www.reddit.com/r/njpw/comments/hrgb9d/what_was_taichis_backstory/ note though that i made it appropriate for heterosexual audiences, haha. im also always available on twitter @axelmania5 if you wanna discuss wrestling!
> 
> to all my friends who made sure this fic happened and eased my doubts, thank you so much, i owe this to you. 💞💞


End file.
